The original (and maybe only) blog that focuses on the restaurants and foods of the Lake Norman Area. I discreetly visit area restaurants and post my own unbiased reviews. I hope you enjoy. Bon Appetit!

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Thursday, July 16, 2009

Killingtons (Huntersville)

Last night I decided to give Killingtons a try. Nestled between Harris Teeter and Friendly's, I drove past it once. But noticed it in my rear-view mirror while driving away. So, I found a spot and walked in.

I was immediately greeted by a hostess who took me to my seat. Killingtons appears to be a fairly new pub. To the right is a bar, straight ahead, and to the left is the seating area -- where I was. It's decorated sparsely, but despite that and the high ceilings, it didn't feel cavernous. About 10 feet up, there are HDTVs (I'm guessing 36 - 40 inches) playing every channel imaginable.

The restaurant was still relatively empty, and therefore rather quiet.

The hostess gave me a menu to look over, and I barely looked it over. I was here because a friend insisted that I get the "Beef on Weck." For those of you not from NY, Beef on Weck is a Buffalo (city not sauce) version of a French Dip sandwich.

I placed my order immediately with the waitress. While waiting for my meal, I sorta lost time studying for today's exam. But I think about 7-10 minutes passed before my food was in front of me.

Killington's calls itself the "Gastro Pub of the South." I noticed on the menu that they have a different spin on many of their meals. For example the Gastro Burger is an "8 oz. burger stuffed with palmetto cheese topped with grilled onions." It sounds good, but I don't know about "gastro" that burger is -- it sorta lacks imagination. However, their Gastro Chicken Sandwich seems to fit the "Gastro" billing; it has "muenster cheese, pancetta, red onion marmalade served on focaccia bread."

When my food arrived, I was impressed with the presentation. The thinly sliced prime rib was piled neatly onto a large Kaiser-style roll that was topped with salt and caraway seeds. The fries were hand cut and dirty (skins still on) -- my favorite. Between the sandwich and fries was a large bowl of Au Jus. The sandwich was accompanied by three condiments, which each had their own small bowl, and was aesthetically pleasing: Dijon Mustard, ketchup, and horseradish.

The sandwich was big, but surprisingly not messy. The shaved prime rib was moist and tender, with very little, if any, fat. And the roll was quite good, I loved the salt and the caraway seeds. It added flavorful interest to the sandwich. To be honest it didn't need any condiments or Au Jus. However, after a couple of bites I started to experiment with the add-ons.

First the Au Jus. Then the horseradish. Then the ketchup. Then all three! Yeah, I know... I live life on the EDGE!!! I'm a risk taker -- I can't live life any other way. :)

The fries were just the right combination of crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside. They also had a lot of flavor, and aside from some salt (which I added) they didn't need any assistance.

The only downside to the meal was the tiny, droopy, sad pickle-spear that accompanied my meal. It was really an after thought, and did nothing to help the meal. But, since I've never met a pickle I didn't like -- I put it out of its misery quickly. :)

All-in-all a great meal. I want to go back to check out some of their other options -- including their "Cola Braised Baby Back Ribs." Sounds delicious!

Score:Atmosphere: 4/5Food: 4/5Service: 4/5Total: 12/15

Price: $$ (just over $12 for Beef on Weck and a soda)Kid Friendly: Yes, their kids menu starts at $2.25

Conclusion: Unique food and good friendly service (the manager came by twice to check on me) should have me coming back for more. They're a little pricier than I expected, but worth the visit.

My husband and I eat here at least once a week and we are never disappointed. The atmosphere is great and the food is wonderful! I consider myself a bar food connoisseur –growing up in the north and being inundated with local bars, I know good bar food when I taste it. This place is best described as upscale bar food with such dishes as the bloody mary shrimp cocktail, the delicious black bean burger, and the mashed potato special (special mash) that they change on a daily basis. The portions are a good size too so I would not consider the prices too high. Great food for the money!!!!The owners are wonderful too and they always make a special trip to your table to say hi.